1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to automobiles and in particular to garages. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for automated parking assistance.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to safely maneuver a vehicle within a limited area, such as a garage, a driver must simultaneously be aware of the dynamic distances between the driver's vehicle and other vehicles, walls, and/or objects. If a vehicle is parked too close to a side wall (i.e., a wall to the left or right of the vehicle) within a garage, damage may be incurred by the vehicle and/or the wall when the driver subsequently exits the vehicle. Similarly, if a vehicle is parked too close to the back wall (i.e., the wall opposite the garage door) of a garage, damage may be incurred by the vehicle and/or the garage door if the vehicle protrudes from the opening of the garage when the garage door is closed. If a first vehicle is parked too far away from a side wall within a garage, the first vehicle may obstruct the entry of a second vehicle into the garage.
Garages are typically utilized to park one or more vehicles in the same parking spaces over a period of time (e.g., a family that regularly parks the same two cars in the same spots). In such a garage, each vehicle may have different dimensions and thus occupy less space relative to other objects and/or vehicles when the vehicle is parked in a preferred pre-defined location within the garage. A driver who is distracted or unfamiliar with the garage may attempt to park the vehicle in a position other than the pre-defined location, thereby jeopardizing the vehicle, the walls of the garage, the garage door, and/or an adjacent parking space.